Senator Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) downplayed the need for the FBI’s involvement in vetting President Trump’s nominees, stating that the public isn’t concerned about whether the FBI conducts background checks.
This remark comes contrary to demands from some Republican senators who want the agency to be the primary body responsible for such investigations. In a recent interview, Hagerty emphasized that Americans care more about the fulfillment of the mandate they voted for than the process by which nominees are vetted.
Hagerty downplays FBI role in vetting while some senators call it essential
He referred to Pete Hegseth, Trump’s pick for Secretary of Defense, who had been accused of sexual assault in 2017, a case that did not result in charges. “What the American public cares about is to see the mandate that they voted in delivered upon,” Hagerty said during an appearance on ABC’s This Week.
He argued that strengthening the military is a critical priority, stressing the need to focus on the work ahead. Hagerty also criticized President Biden’s current Cabinet, calling it the “worst” in history, and specifically targeting Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas as the worst Cabinet secretary.
On the other hand, some Senate Republicans believe that the FBI should continue overseeing background checks. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), a member of the Armed Services Committee, stated that having the FBI conduct a background check on Hegseth would be beneficial.
Republican lawmakers supporting the FBI’s role argue that the agency has unique access to federal, state, and local criminal investigations that private firms cannot match. Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine), the incoming chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, stated earlier this month, “The FBI should do the background checks, in my judgment.”
Senator Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, also voiced support for the FBI taking the lead in vetting nominees, though he acknowledged that private firms could supplement the process.
“If you wanted to supplement it with a private firm, I’d say OK. But the FBI does have access to information that probably a private firm wouldn’t have, even a really good savvy one,” Cramer explained.
The Trump transition team has yet to formalize an agreement with the Department of Justice to allow the FBI to conduct background checks for nominees. It also hasn’t provided the FBI with the names of potential national security officials who would have access to classified information.
